Can and insertable pouring spout



Aug. r29, 1939. y .1. lvoTl f Y 2,171,094

` CAN AND INSERTABLE POURING SPOUT I Filed Aprily 29, 1939 INVENTOR. Joss/H Lvo-rl ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 29, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Joseph Livoti,

Roseville, Calif.

Application April 29, 1939, Serial No. 270,809

4 Claims.

This invention has reference to improvements in cans or containers for liquids, and the invention has particular reference to a new and novelpouring spout or nozzle through which the contents of the can or container may be discharged. The type of can in which the invention of the spout is employed is not provided With an opening at the time that its contents are sealed therein. Usually they are hermetically sealed. If all of the contents of the can are to be removed at one time, it is feasible to remove the end of the can with any suitable type of can opener. However, certain types of goods which are packed inY these cans are liquids which are used periodically in small portions and in the` interim it is desired to employ the can as a refceptacle in which the remaining portion of the liquid may be stored for future use. One such product may be mentioned as olive oil.

The well known manner of utilizing the can with suchia product (where only a portion of the contents is used at o-ne time), is to puncture one end of the body material of the can and pour the contentsV therefrom from time to time as needed. This is unsanitary because it leaves the orifice open to the collection of dust, and also small portions of the oil collect on the outside of theopening and spreadv over the end of the canwhereit collects dust and dirt, and also becomes rancid under conditions of exposure. The proposal of this invention is to remedy the overiiow of the liquid, such as oil, on the punctured surface of the can and at the same time provide a vent whereby air may be admitted to the can simultaneously with pouring liquid therefrom so that the contents will pour evenly and smoothly.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a can which may be readily opened and to providefa spout or nozzle which may be inserted within the opening and supported therein by reason of the characteristics of its structure.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, all of which willl be more apparent as this description proceeds, the invention is exemplied in one form in the novel construction and combination 'of parts. hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claims.l hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and details of construction of the apparatus may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

To more clearly comprehend the invention,

reference is directed to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is aperspective of a can body showing the relation thereto of spout or nozzle.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section of a portion of a can body showing the relation of the spout structure thereto.

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 with .the addition. thereto of a cover member for releasably closing the open end of the spout.

Fig. 4 is a'laterally transverse section on line IV-IV of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, Ill represents generally a can body with hermetically sealed ends as by double seaming II. In one end of the can body the metal material thereof is circularly scored as shown in Fig. 1 to provide a disc I2, the scoring being interrupted at one portion I3. The scoring does not go completely'through the metal but isy sufliciently deep so that with a reasonable amount of pressure the remaining thickness of the metal may be ruptured and the disc I3 bent downvardly into the can, but being prevented from dropping into the can by means of the tongue portion at the portion I3 where the scoring is interrupted. When the disc is pressed downwardly into the can', as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, there is provided a substantially circular opening whichhad previously been closed by the disc I2, a slight irregularity in the circular opening being caused Vby the thickness of the metal at the bend portion I3.'

A spout or nozzle is provided for insertion into thisopening. The spout is indicated I4 in its entirety. It is tubular throughout, having an upper portion. I5 and a lower or skirt portion I6. Beginning in the side wall of the upper portion I5 there is provided an external longitudinal inwardly formed groove Il which extends to the lower or terminal end of the skirt I6. This longitudinalf groove II provides a vent whereby air may be -freely admitted into the container when the contents thereof lare being poured through thespout. The inward folding or deformation of the metal of the can body at groove I'I reduces the diameter and therefore also reduces the circumference of the spout, and since the -groove I'I is made v'progressively deeper from its point of beginning to the terminal end of the skirt, the spout structure is slightly tapered thereby, so that the lower end I 8 of the skirt portion I6 is of a smaller diameter and circumference than the upper portion I5 of the spout. There is provided in the spout a circumferential groove I9 in spaced relation to the lower terminal end of the skirt, which circumferential groove provides a shoulder on either side thereofy as indicated 20 and 2l. The skirt portion is provided with a plurality of slots 22 which may be headed with eyelets 23.

Assuming that the disc l2 has been pressed inwardly relative to the can body so as to provide the opening in the can body at that point, the lower tapered end portion of the skirt portion of the spout lli may be inserted into the opening and upon longitudinal axial pressure thereon the nozzle may be seated in the opening with the groove i9 engaging the circular edges of the can body at the opening where the disc I3 has been removed. The slots 23 render the skirt I6 sufficiently resilient so that the shoulder 2l of the skirt may be sprung past the edge of the opening in the can body, which permits the shoulder 2l to engage the lower or inner face of the can body and the shoulder 2D to engage the upper or outer face of the can body, thus bracing and maintaining the spout in a substantially fixed relationship so that it will not be dislodged by pouring the contents of the can through the spout. For convenience of description in the appended claims, that end portion of the spout consisting of the skirt is referred to as the connecting end of the spout, and the opposite end is referred to as the pouring end of the spout. The pouring end of the spout may be cut at an angle to the axis of the spout, as illustrated in Fig. 2 to provide a pouring lip. It is preferred that in seating the spout into its operative position within the can, that the groove Il should be positioned so that the additional thickness of metal of the portion i3 of disc i2 may extend into the groove Vi. This portion of metal i3, which may be called a tongue, is not sufficiently large to prevent the passage of air through groove I?, so that it in no way interferes with groove il serving as a vent through which air may enter the can during the pouring operation.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A spout for an outlet of metallic cans which have a circularly scored area which may be opened by rupture of the metal along the score line, said spout comprising a tubular body including a pouring end portion and a connecting end portion, said tubular body having an inwardly formed externally open groove longitudinally thereof and terminating at the connecting end portion of the tubular body, said groove being formed by a longitudinal inward deformation of the body of the tube whereby the circumference of the tube at the connecting end is less than the circumference thereof adjacent the pouring end, said body having an externally concave groove circumferentially thereof adjacent the connecting end and said connecting end having longitudinal slots extending from adjacent said groove to the terminations of said connecting end, whereby a laterally resilient skirt is provided at the connecting end for insertion within the can opening provided by rupture of the metal along the score lines.

2. A spout for an outlet of metallic cans which have a circularly scored area which may be opened by rupture of the metal along the score line, said spout comprising a tubular body including a pouring end portion and a connecting end portion,

said tubular body having an inwardly formed externally open groove longitudinally thereof and terminating at the connecting end portion of the tubular body, and said tubular body having, adjacent the connecting end, an externally open groove circumferentially thereof, said longitudinal groove being formed by an inward deformation of the body of the tube with depth increasing toward the connecting end whereby the circumference of the tube at the connecting end is tapered to a lesser circumference than the circumference of the tubular body adjacent the pouring end, and thereby providing a tapered skirt at the connecting end for insertion within the can opening provided by the rupture of the metal along the score lines.

3. In combination with a metallic can having in its body a disc circularly scored for the larger portion of a circle, and a portion at which the circular scoring is interrupted and in which the i,

scoring provides a disc which may be opened by rupture of the metal along the score line leaving the disc connected to the can body by a tongue, a spout comprising a tubular body including a pouring end portion and a connecting y end portion, said tubular body having an inwardly formed externally open groove longitudinally thereof and 'terminating at the connecting end portion of the tubular body, said groove being formed by a longitudinal inward deformation of the body of the tube whereby the circumference of the tube at the connecting end is less than the circumference thereof adjacent the pouring end, said body having an externally concave groovecircumferentially thereof adjacent the connecting end and said connecting end having longitudinal slots extending from adjacent said groove to the terminations of said connecting end, Whereby a laterally resilient skirt is provided at the connecting end for insertion within the can opening provided by rupture of the metal along the score lines.

4. n combination with a metallic can having in its body a disc circularly scored for the major portion of a circle and a po-rtion at which the circular scoring is interrupted and in which the scoring provides a disc which may be opened by rupture of the metal along the score line leaving the disc connected to the can body by a tongue, a spout comprising a tubular body including a pouring end portion and a connecting end portion, said tubular body having an inwardly formed externally open groove longitudinally thereof and terminating at the connecting end portion of the tubular body, and said tubular body having, adjacent the connecting end, an externally open groove circumferentially thereof, said longitudinal groove being formed by an inward deformation of the body of the tube with depth increasing toward the connecting end whereby the circumference of the tube at the connecting end is tapered to a lesser circumference than the circumference of the tubular body adjacent the pouring end, and thereby providing a tapered skirt at the connecting end for insertion within the can opening provided by the rupture of the metal valong the score lines.

JOSEPH LIVOTI. 

